[feat](trx-backend): add RigAccess::Sdr variant and soapysdr feature stub

Add `RigAccess::Sdr { args: String }` to the backend access enum, register
a feature-gated `soapysdr` factory stub in `register_builtin_backends_on`,
handle the new variant in all existing `match` arms, and add the `soapysdr`
feature flag (no dep yet; implementation lands in SDR-04). Mark SDR-02 done.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Signed-off-by: Stan Grams <sjg@haxx.space>
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# SDR Backend Requirements
This document specifies the requirements for a SoapySDR-based RX-only backend (`trx-backend-soapysdr`) and the associated IQ-to-audio pipeline changes in `trx-server`.
---
## Progress
> **For AI agents:** This section is the single source of truth for implementation status.
> Each task has a unique ID (e.g. `SDR-01`), a status badge, a description, the files it touches, and any blocking dependencies.
> Pick any task whose status is `[ ]` and whose `Needs` list is fully `[x]`. Update status to `[~]` while working, `[x]` when merged. Record notes under the task if you hit non-obvious issues.
>
> Status legend: `[ ]` not started · `[~]` in progress · `[x]` done · `[!]` blocked
### Foundational (must land first)
| ID | Status | Task | Touches |
|----|--------|------|---------|
| SDR-01 | `[ ]` | Add `AudioSource` trait to `trx-core`; add `as_audio_source()` default on `RigCat` | `src/trx-core/src/rig/mod.rs` |
| SDR-02 | `[x]` | Add `RigAccess::Sdr { args: String }` variant; register `soapysdr` factory (feature-gated `soapysdr`) | `src/trx-server/trx-backend/src/lib.rs` |
| SDR-03 | `[ ]` | Add `SdrConfig`, `SdrGainConfig`, `SdrChannelConfig` structs; parse `type = "sdr"` in `AccessConfig`; add `sdr: SdrConfig` to `ServerConfig`; add startup validation rules (§11) | `src/trx-server/src/config.rs` |
### New crate: `trx-backend-soapysdr`
| ID | Status | Task | Touches | Needs |
|----|--------|------|---------|-------|
| SDR-04 | `[ ]` | Create crate scaffold: `Cargo.toml` (deps: `soapysdr`, `num-complex`, `tokio`), empty `lib.rs` | `src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/` | SDR-01, SDR-02 |
| SDR-05 | `[ ]` | Implement `demod.rs`: SSB (USB/LSB), AM envelope, FM quadrature, CW narrow BPF+envelope | `…/src/demod.rs` | SDR-04 |
| SDR-06 | `[ ]` | Implement `dsp.rs`: IQ broadcast loop (SoapySDR read thread → `broadcast::Sender<Vec<Complex<f32>>>`); per-channel mixer → FIR LPF → decimator → demod → frame accumulator → `broadcast::Sender<Vec<f32>>` | `…/src/dsp.rs` | SDR-04, SDR-05 |
| SDR-07 | `[ ]` | Implement `SoapySdrRig` in `lib.rs`: `RigCat` (RX methods + `not_supported` stubs for TX), `AudioSource`, gain control (manual/auto with fallback), primary channel freq/mode tracking | `…/src/lib.rs` | SDR-03, SDR-06 |
### Server integration
| ID | Status | Task | Touches | Needs |
|----|--------|------|---------|-------|
| SDR-08 | `[ ]` | `main.rs`: after building rig, if `as_audio_source()` is `Some` skip cpal, subscribe each decoder and the Opus encoder to the appropriate channel PCM senders; validate `stream_opus` count ≤ 1 | `src/trx-server/src/main.rs` | SDR-03, SDR-07 |
| SDR-09 | `[ ]` | Add `trx-backend-soapysdr` to workspace `Cargo.toml`; update `CONFIGURATION.md` with new `[sdr]` / `[[sdr.channels]]` options | `Cargo.toml`, `CONFIGURATION.md` | SDR-04 |
### Validation & tests
| ID | Status | Task | Touches | Needs |
|----|--------|------|---------|-------|
| SDR-10 | `[ ]` | Unit tests for `demod.rs`: known-input tone through each demodulator, check output frequency correct | `…/src/demod.rs` | SDR-05 |
| SDR-11 | `[ ]` | Unit tests for config validation: channel IF out-of-range, dual `stream_opus`, TX enabled with SDR backend, AGC fallback warning | `src/trx-server/src/config.rs` | SDR-03 |
---
## Goals
- Receive-only backend that uses any SoapySDR-compatible device (RTL-SDR, Airspy, HackRF, SDRplay, etc.) as the rig
- Full IQ pipeline: raw IQ samples → demodulated PCM → existing decoders (FT8, WSPR, APRS, CW) with zero decoder-side changes
- Wideband capture: one SDR IQ stream feeds multiple simultaneous virtual receivers, each independently tuned and demodulated
- Configurable per-channel filters and demodulation modes
- Demodulated audio streamed to clients as Opus over the existing TCP audio channel
---
## Non-Goals
- Transmit (TX/PTT) of any kind
- Replacing or deprecating the existing cpal-based audio path (it stays for transceiver backends)
---
## 1. Device Abstraction
### 1.1 `RigAccess` extension
A new access type `sdr` is added alongside `serial` and `tcp`:
```toml
[rig.access]
type = "sdr"
args = "driver=rtlsdr" # SoapySDR device args string
```
The `args` value is passed verbatim to `SoapySDR::Device::new(args)`. It follows SoapySDR's key=value comma-separated convention (e.g., `driver=airspy`, `driver=rtlsdr,serial=00000001`).
### 1.2 `AudioSource` trait
A new trait is added to `trx-core` (`src/trx-core/src/rig/mod.rs`):
```rust
pub trait AudioSource: Send + Sync {
/// Subscribe to demodulated PCM audio from the primary channel.
fn subscribe_pcm(&self) -> broadcast::Receiver<Vec<f32>>;
}
```
`RigCat` gains a default opt-in method:
```rust
pub trait RigCat: Rig + Send {
// ... existing methods ...
fn as_audio_source(&self) -> Option<&dyn AudioSource> { None }
}
```
`SoapySdrRig` overrides `as_audio_source()` to return `Some(self)`. When the server detects this, it skips spawning the cpal capture thread entirely.
### 1.3 TX-only `RigCat` methods
The following methods return `RigError::not_supported(...)` on the SDR backend:
- `set_ptt()`
- `power_on()` / `power_off()`
- `get_tx_power()`
- `get_tx_limit()` / `set_tx_limit()`
- `toggle_vfo()` (not applicable; channels are defined statically in config)
- `lock()` / `unlock()`
The following methods are fully supported:
- `get_status()` → returns primary channel's current `(freq, mode, None)`
- `set_freq()` → re-tunes the SDR center frequency (keeping `center_offset_hz` invariant) and updates all channel mixer offsets
- `set_mode()` → changes the primary channel's demodulator
- `get_signal_strength()` → returns instantaneous RSSI for the primary channel (dBFS mapped to 0255 S-unit range)
---
## 2. IQ Pipeline Architecture
### 2.1 Center frequency offset
SDR hardware has a DC offset spur at exactly 0 Hz in the IQ spectrum. To keep the primary channel off DC, the SDR is tuned to a frequency offset from the desired dial frequency:
```
sdr_center_freq = dial_freq - center_offset_hz
```
With `center_offset_hz = 200000` and dial freq 14.074 MHz, the SDR tunes to 13.874 MHz. The 14.074 MHz signal appears at +200 kHz in the IQ spectrum and is mixed down to baseband in software.
`center_offset_hz` is a global SDR parameter (not per-channel). A reasonable default is `100000` (100 kHz).
### 2.2 Wideband channel model
One SoapySDR RX stream produces IQ samples at `sdr.sample_rate` (e.g. 1.92 MHz). This stream is shared among all configured channels. Each channel defines an independent virtual receiver:
```
SoapySDR RX stream (complex f32, sdr_sample_rate Hz)
├──► Channel 0 (primary) offset_hz=0, mode=USB, bw=3000 Hz
├──► Channel 1 (wspr) offset_hz=+21600, mode=USB, bw=3000 Hz
└──► Channel N ...
```
A **channel's frequency** in the real spectrum is:
```
channel_real_freq = dial_freq + channel.offset_hz
```
A **channel's IF frequency** within the IQ stream is:
```
channel_if_hz = center_offset_hz + channel.offset_hz
```
This is the frequency at which the channel's signal appears in the captured IQ bandwidth, and is what the channel's mixer shifts to baseband.
**Constraint:** `|channel_if_hz|` must be less than `sdr_sample_rate / 2` for every channel. The server validates this at startup and rejects invalid configs.
### 2.3 Per-channel DSP chain
Each channel runs the following stages independently on the shared IQ stream:
```
IQ input (complex f32, sdr_sample_rate)
1. Mixer: multiply by exp(-j·2π·channel_if_hz·n/sdr_sample_rate)
→ complex f32 centred at 0 Hz
2. FIR LPF: cutoff = audio_bandwidth_hz / 2, order configurable
3. Decimator: sdr_sample_rate / audio_sample_rate (must be integer; resampler used otherwise)
4. Demodulator (mode-dependent, see §3)
5. Output: real f32 at audio_sample_rate
6. Frame accumulator: chunks of frame_duration_ms
7. broadcast::Sender<Vec<f32>> → decoders + optional Opus encoder
```
Channels run concurrently in separate tasks, all reading from the same raw IQ broadcast channel.
### 2.4 IQ broadcast channel
The SoapySDR read loop runs in a dedicated OS thread (matching the existing cpal thread model). It reads IQ sample blocks from the device and publishes them on:
```rust
broadcast::Sender<Vec<Complex<f32>>> // capacity: configurable, default 64 blocks
```
Each channel task subscribes to this sender. Lagged receivers log a warning and continue.
---
## 3. Demodulators
Demodulator is selected per-channel based on `mode`. Modes map as follows:
| `RigMode` | Demodulator |
|-----------|-------------|
| `USB` | SSB: mix to IF, take real part (upper sideband) |
| `LSB` | SSB: mix to IF, take real part (lower sideband, negate IF) |
| `AM` | Envelope detector: `sqrt(I² + Q²)`, DC-remove, normalize |
| `FM` | Quadrature: `arg(s[n] · conj(s[n-1]))`, i.e. instantaneous frequency |
| `WFM` | Same as FM, wider pre-demod filter (`wfm_bandwidth_hz`) |
| `CW` | Narrow BPF centred at `cw_center_hz` (audio domain), then envelope |
| `DIG`/`PKT` | Same as USB (pass audio through for downstream digital decoders) |
| `CWR` | Same as CW (reversed sideband, uses same audio envelope) |
For SSB modes (USB/LSB), after mixing to baseband the channel's `audio_bandwidth_hz` defines the one-sided cutoff of the post-demod LPF.
---
## 4. Gain Control
Gain is configured globally under `[sdr.gain]`.
```toml
[sdr.gain]
mode = "auto" # "auto" (AGC via SoapySDR) or "manual"
value = 30.0 # dB; ignored when mode = "auto"
```
- **`auto`**: calls `device.set_gain_mode(SOAPY_SDR_RX, 0, true)` to enable hardware AGC if the device supports it. If the device does not support hardware AGC, falls back to `manual` with a warning.
- **`manual`**: calls `device.set_gain(SOAPY_SDR_RX, 0, value)` with the specified total gain in dB.
Advanced per-element gain is out of scope for this phase (no `lna`/`vga`/`if` sub-keys initially).
---
## 5. Filter Configuration
Filters are configured per-channel. The following are settable:
```toml
[[sdr.channels]]
audio_bandwidth_hz = 3000 # One-sided bandwidth of post-demod BPF (Hz)
# For FM: deviation hint for deemphasis
fir_taps = 64 # FIR filter tap count (default 64); higher = sharper roll-off
cw_center_hz = 700 # CW tone centre in audio domain (default 700 Hz)
wfm_bandwidth_hz = 75000 # Pre-demod bandwidth for WFM only (default 75 kHz)
```
`fir_taps` controls the same FIR used in stage 2 of the DSP chain (§2.3). It applies uniformly to both the pre-demod decimation filter and the post-demod audio BPF in this phase.
---
## 6. Channel Configuration and Decoder Binding
Channels are declared as a TOML array. The first channel in the list is the **primary channel** and is the one exposed via `RigCat` (`set_freq`/`set_mode` affect it; `get_status` reads from it).
```toml
[[sdr.channels]]
id = "primary" # Identifier, used in logs
offset_hz = 0 # Offset from dial frequency (Hz)
mode = "auto" # "auto" = follows RigCat set_mode; or fixed RigMode string
audio_bandwidth_hz = 3000
fir_taps = 64
decoders = ["ft8", "cw"] # Which decoders receive this channel's PCM
stream_opus = true # Encode and stream via TCP audio channel
[[sdr.channels]]
id = "wspr-14"
offset_hz = 21600 # 14.0956 MHz when dial = 14.074 MHz
mode = "USB" # Fixed mode, ignores RigCat set_mode
audio_bandwidth_hz = 3000
decoders = ["wspr"]
stream_opus = false
[[sdr.channels]]
id = "aprs"
offset_hz = -673600 # e.g. 144.390 MHz when dial = 145.0635 MHz
mode = "FM"
audio_bandwidth_hz = 8000
decoders = ["aprs"]
stream_opus = false
```
**`mode = "auto"`** means the channel's demodulator tracks whatever `set_mode()` last set on the backend. Only the primary channel should use `"auto"` in typical use.
**`decoders`** maps to the decoder task IDs: `"ft8"`, `"wspr"`, `"aprs"`, `"cw"`. Each named decoder subscribes to the PCM broadcast channel of the listed channel(s). A decoder can only be bound to one channel (first binding wins if duplicated).
---
## 7. Opus Streaming
Channels with `stream_opus = true` have their demodulated PCM Opus-encoded and streamed over the server's existing TCP audio port (default 4531).
For this phase, only **one channel** may have `stream_opus = true` (validation error otherwise). This channel's Opus stream replaces what cpal would have produced — the TCP audio protocol and client-side handling are unchanged.
The Opus encoder uses the `[audio]` config for `frame_duration_ms`, `bitrate_bps`, and `sample_rate`. The SDR pipeline must output PCM at the same `sample_rate` as `[audio]`; a mismatch is a startup validation error.
---
## 8. Full Configuration Example
```toml
[rig]
model = "soapysdr"
initial_freq_hz = 14074000
initial_mode = "USB"
[rig.access]
type = "sdr"
args = "driver=rtlsdr"
[sdr]
sample_rate = 1920000 # IQ capture rate (Hz) — must be supported by device
bandwidth = 1500000 # Hardware IF filter (Hz)
center_offset_hz = 200000 # SDR tunes this many Hz below dial frequency
[sdr.gain]
mode = "auto"
value = 30.0 # Effective only when mode = "manual"
[[sdr.channels]]
id = "primary"
offset_hz = 0
mode = "auto"
audio_bandwidth_hz = 3000
fir_taps = 64
decoders = ["ft8", "cw"]
stream_opus = true
[[sdr.channels]]
id = "wspr"
offset_hz = 21600
mode = "USB"
audio_bandwidth_hz = 3000
decoders = ["wspr"]
stream_opus = false
[audio]
enabled = true
listen = "127.0.0.1"
port = 4531
rx_enabled = true
tx_enabled = false # No TX on SDR backend
sample_rate = 48000
channels = 1
frame_duration_ms = 20
bitrate_bps = 24000
```
---
## 9. Code Changes Map
| File | Change |
|------|--------|
| `Cargo.toml` (workspace) | Add `src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr` member |
| `src/trx-core/src/rig/mod.rs` | Add `AudioSource` trait; add `as_audio_source()` default to `RigCat` |
| `src/trx-server/trx-backend/src/lib.rs` | Add `RigAccess::Sdr { args }` variant; register `soapysdr` factory (feature-gated) |
| `src/trx-server/src/config.rs` | Add `SdrConfig`, `SdrGainConfig`, `SdrChannelConfig`; parse `type = "sdr"` in `AccessConfig`; add `sdr: SdrConfig` to `ServerConfig` |
| `src/trx-server/src/main.rs` | After building rig: if `as_audio_source()` is `Some`, skip cpal, use `AudioSource::subscribe_pcm()` for each decoder and for the Opus encoder; validate at most one `stream_opus = true` channel |
| `src/trx-server/src/audio.rs` | Expose `spawn_audio_capture` and `run_*_decoder` without assuming cpal as the sole source; no functional change needed — decoders already take `broadcast::Receiver<Vec<f32>>` |
| `src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/Cargo.toml` | New crate |
| `src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/src/lib.rs` | `SoapySdrRig`: implements `RigCat` + `AudioSource`; spawns IQ read thread and channel DSP tasks |
| `src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/src/dsp.rs` | IQ broadcast loop; per-channel mixer, FIR, decimator, demodulator, frame accumulator |
| `src/trx-server/trx-backend/trx-backend-soapysdr/src/demod.rs` | Mode-specific demodulators: SSB, AM envelope, FM quadrature, CW envelope |
| `CONFIGURATION.md` | Document new `[rig.access] type = "sdr"`, `[sdr]`, `[[sdr.channels]]` options |
---
## 10. External Dependencies
| Crate | Purpose |
|-------|---------|
| `soapysdr` | Rust bindings to `libSoapySDR` (C++) |
| `num-complex` | `Complex<f32>` for IQ arithmetic |
System requirement: `libSoapySDR` installed (e.g. `brew install soapysdr` on macOS, `libsoapysdr-dev` on Debian/Ubuntu).
---
## 11. Validation Rules (startup)
- `[rig.access] type = "sdr"` requires `args` to be non-empty.
- `[sdr] sample_rate` must be non-zero.
- For every channel: `|center_offset_hz + channel.offset_hz| < sdr_sample_rate / 2`.
- Exactly one channel must have `stream_opus = true` (or none; zero means no TCP audio stream).
- The audio `sample_rate` in `[audio]` must equal the target audio rate in the SDR pipeline (no cross-rate mismatch).
- `[audio] tx_enabled` must be `false` when `model = "soapysdr"`.
- A decoder name may appear in at most one channel's `decoders` list.
- If the device does not support hardware AGC and `gain.mode = "auto"`, warn and fall back to `manual` using `gain.value`.